The back story
Khmer Herbs and Quiet Rooms: Phnom Penh’s Spas
Herbal poultices on Level 33, aromatherapy by the Bassac and a garden spa near the palace.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Sofitel Phnom Penh PhokeethraPhnom Penh’s spas, from the Khmer herbal treatments of Sense, A Rosewood Spa and Raffles Spa to the Sofitel’s ten spa suites, the Plantation’s garden spa and Bodia’s city spas.
Phnom Penh is a city of noise and heat, of tuk-tuks and markets, and that is part of its charm. It is also why its spas matter: an hour in a cool, quiet room, with the scent of lemongrass and warm herbs, resets a long day of sightseeing.
The Khmer way
Cambodia has its own healing tradition, built on herbs and warm compresses, and the best spas in the city draw on it. Raffles Spa, at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, offers traditional Khmer treatments alongside modern ones, in the old hotel by Wat Phnom.
At the Plantation Urban Resort & Spa on Street 184, a few minutes from the Royal Palace, Plantation Spa uses local ingredients and Southeast Asian healing practices, and Bodia Spa runs city spas on the riverside, in BKK1, at the Novotel and at Techo International Airport.
High above the city
For the view, go up. Sense, A Rosewood Spa, is on Level 33 of Vattanac Capital, and its menu revives the old medicine of the Khmer people, with indigenous herbs and Khmer herbal poultices. A 22-metre indoor lap pool, a steam room and a sauna come with it.
The Rosewood also has Cambodia’s only Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio by Bastien Gonzalez, led by a qualified podiatrist, open daily from 10am to 8pm.
In a hot, busy city, an hour of quiet is the best luxury of all.
By the Bassac
Down by the Bassac river, the Sofitel Spa has ten spa suites. Its massages use oil blends inspired by the four elements, wind, water, earth and fire, its facials use Decléor, and its therapists combine Western and Eastern methods; it opens daily from 10am to 10pm.
Did you know? A herbal poultice is a warm bundle of herbs pressed on the body; Sense, A Rosewood Spa, makes Khmer poultice therapies part of its menu.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Fumihiko Ueno · CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsOur advice
Our advice: book a spa for the hottest hours, between noon and 4pm, after a morning at the Royal Palace or the National Museum. Book ahead, especially at weekends, and check each spa’s own page for treatments and prices. For medical care, see the hospitals in this list.
Why it's on our list
- The Khmer way
- High above the city
- By the Bassac
- Our advice
Location
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